I just wanted to thank the Daily News for correctly reporting the tragic deaths of a young mother and her child stemming from a traffic accident on Jan. 1. Thanks to the bleeding hearts of California voters and the passing of Proposition 36 (rehab, not jail for drug offenders), a parolee got to drive (unlicensed, of course) under the influence of methamphetamine and kill innocent people.

The parolee was involved in a rehab program graciously given to him by the voters instead of given punishment in jail. Maybe what we should do is have all those who voted yes for Proposition 36 pay for all the expenses involved in these senseless deaths. Who knows how many other deaths have been caused or will be caused by these drug offenders involved in county drug rehab programs?

Jeff LaMonica, Granada Hills

[end]

Drug houses have continued to flourish in many parts of Los Angeles despitea 4-year-old city task force that has made hundreds of arrests and forced landlords to evict drug dealers.

Since 1997, the task force of the Los Angeles Police Department, city attorneys and building inspectors has forced more than 900 evictions and closed 200 drug houses citywide, 35 percent of which were in the San Fernando Valley. Since 1998, the unit has made more than 900 arrests with more than one-third of those in the Valley.

[continues 1258 words]